Automobile.



0. A. LATHAM & 0. BENTON.

AUTOMOBILE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE18,1910.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

Z SHEETSSHEET l.

c. A. LATHAM & 0. BENTON.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNElB, 1910.

13581309. Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

10W: 7 war mam Om 51/21/6574,. 7% 7% m glxlr my 0M UNITED STATES PATENTQFFICE.

omis'jr'nn shamanism Ann 01mm nnnroiv or wrcmra, :KANSA'S. f

Anzr oMonILE.

Tool! whom itiiwgfeoncemr Be it known that we, GHns'rnn A. LATHAM I and Onion BENTON, citizens of the United States, residing at \Vichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Im rovemen-ts in Automobiles, of-which'th'e ollowing is'a specification.

I Q h4- a I Our invention relates to improvements in the front running gear for automobiles and other vehicles'ixi which-- the traction wheels are positively driven by. a power shaft, and

in which the wheelsnre at the .same time so mounted as to permit-turning thereof for steering urposes:

One' 0 the objects of our invention is to provide a steering head withfa removable .portion, said removable' portion carrying an auxiliai axle. j

sti l-furthe'r object of our.inventi0n 'is' "to provide a hollow steering head or'casmg provided with a removable closure, prefer- "theembodinient ,of the inventionzFigure ably at its outer .end, said closure carrying the auxiliary axleand being-adapted forready removal so that access can be'had to the universal coupling. 4

With these and other. objects, the men. t-ion consists in certain new and novel fee;

tures of construction as hereinafter de- .scribedand specifically pointed out in theclaims. 7 j V, j

In'the drawings employed for illustratin 1 is a vertical sectional. view taken through the center thereof. Fig. 2 is a topwiew,

partly in section, with the driving means in position shown in Fig, 1. Fig. 3 1s a See:

tional view on the line m-.;v of Fig. 1, showing the universal coupling "connecting the driving and tlIlYtll shafts; and, Fig. 415a sectional view taken on a line yy of F 1.'

- directions are arms 6, which are deflected to formspaced parallelsupports 7. Disposed betfween said supports 7 is a cylindrical head 8 which has-oppositely disposed trunnions formed integral therewith or otherwise secured'thereto, and which trunnions are jour- Specification at Lettersfatent; Application mes June 18, 191a Serial No. 567,725.

' Patented Apr. 8, 1 91.3.

' niiled in the supports 7, so that head 8 will be. free tot-urn in ahorizontal plane. A crank arnrt) is fixed to the. bottom trunnion, which has its end connected with the steering gear (not shown) by a link bar-1'0.

annular inwardly extendin flange 12, with 'receive-thezends of locking bolts 13, to secu're salne to the head. Extending rlaterall erably-forxned integral there-with; is an auxiliary axle 14. It will be seen that the de,- taqhable'outer end or closure 1-1 can be read- .ily removed withdrawing the locking bolts 13,"ahdltlmt upon removal ofthe clo= readily be-had.; It will also be 'seen'that the auxiliary axle 14 can readilybe detached from. the steering head or casing 8' and from thecan-so; that f any accident should hapto the aux liary axle, eta, it-,ca'n' be repaired without reinovingthe entire steer- 'The wheelhub 15, to. which the spokes 16 are attached; intlre-usual manner, has an inner, diameter sufficient to leave an interiening space between same and the'auxilfeent'ral screwthreaded aperture 19, is screwed over the end or the driven shaft-20,

assedthrough thehub" and screw Iiig to old said-- partsin locked relation..-' screw cap 22 is next screwed upon-the driven shaft and hub, as shown, the cup extending over the ends ofthe locking ..p in',,.a'n'd prescrew-oap and the nut 23 servin to'make the connection between the whee hub and the driven shaft additionally secure.

a ball 24, anti-friction rollers 25 being disposed between said shaft and the inner side, ofthe auxiliary axle, to properly support the shaft and permit its rotation withthe least possible friction. Pivotally secured to the ball 24 on'the driven shaft 20, is a ring, being the inner one of a plurality of rings 25, arranged one in the usual, manner. The head is providedwitha detachable. outer end 11-, having an aplurality of screw-threaded apertures to stir-e11 access-to thgunivcrsal couplingcan ilg'lfheadfiirom its journals on'the hollow a e venting accidental displacement thereo f ,said'- from'thecenter oft-he headen'd 11, and pre .iaryaxlel i, between which roller bearings 17am; disposed- A screw plug 18, having a so. ,hnd into the end-of the hub 15, to lockthe I latter to said shaft, a loclt pin 21 heing The driven shaft 20 extends inwardly to i a point near the center of the, steering head and its terminal is formed in the shape of within theother and each adjoining pair of shaft will during such turning of the wheel positively drive the latter, (see Fig. 2).- The power shaft 27,- has a .yoke 28 mounted at 1 its end, and pivotally connected'with theouter ring of the universal-,couplin at 29 A slot- 30 is formed in the inner en of the steering head, through which the driving shaft passes, the slot being elongated so that the steering head may swing without interfering with said shaft. The heads of the pivot pins 31 connecting the rings 25,'fitinto sockets in the rings, and are screw-threadeda sufiicient distance only from the head toward their ends to engage threads in the aperture of the ring in which the head is seated, the endsbeing smooth where they fit into apertures of the adjoining ring. The rings are slightly rounded on one side, so that one will not interfere with the other as they swing on their pivots in, different planes. a

From the foregoing it will be seen that power applied to the driving shaft willbe transmitted through the universal couplin to' the driven shaft, and the traction whee connected therewith will be positively driven, while at the same timethe steering head which sup orts the auxiliary axle upon which the whee is mounted, maybe swung in the usual manner for steerihgpurpoSes. The steering head. also has the additional function of-serving as a housing for the coupling, to, prevent sand and m contact therewith.

The universal coupling herein-Qshciwn and described is made the subject-matter of a. separate application for a patent, filed at the same time herewith, andwhile ftliie use of;- said coupling is preferred in connection-with the present invention, it is to be unde i -that we do not limit ourselves to the use'of said coupling in connection with the resentinvention, as it is obvious that any orm of grit from coming universal coupling may be equally as' well used withoutde artin fromthe s irit, or sacrificing any'o the a vantages oft epres- .entzinvent-ion. j

. Having thus described our invention, what -;we claim is:-

I 1. In a device of the class described, a hollow axle, a.cylindrical casing open at one end pivotally supported upon the hollow axle, said casin being composed of a-bottom and side walls, with the bottom having .a slot therein, a closure fqr the open end of the-casing, an auxiliary axle carried by the closure, ,a driving shaft niountedin the holdriven, shaft mounted in the auxiliaryaxle,

shafts.

2. The combination of a hollow-axle, a cylindrical casing open at one end pivotally of, a hollow auxiliary axle carried by said closure, a flange on the closure spaced from to form an annular recess, a driving shaft mounted within the hollow. axle, a driven shaft mounted within the auxiliary axle, means connecting the driving and driven the auxiliary axle the inner end of the hub being disposed within the annular recess between the auxiliary axle and the flange, and means to secure the wheel -on the auxiliary axle.

3. The combination of a hollow ,axle, ,a

..'supported upon the hollow axle, a closure for the open end of-the casin said closure fitting within the'open end 0 the casing, a hollow auxiliary axle carried by said closure, and means to retain the'clos'ure within the, open end of the cylindrical casing, f In testimony whereof we aflix our signaftures, in the presence of two witnesses. I CHESTER A. LATHAM- i ORRIN BENTON.

Witnesses:

E. E. Erzocn, IRA Jacxson.

. .low axle and projecting through the slot in the bottom of the cylindrical casing, a

and connecting means between the tw'oshafts, a wheel having a-hub mounted upon supported upon the hollow axle, a closure for' the casing secured at the open .end there- A t the auxiliary axle but concentric.therewith cylindrical casing open at one end pivotally- 

